The establishment of a Task Force on Office Strategies was approved by the Board of
Directors in June 1998 as part of its approval of a comprehensive Strategic Planning
document. The Task Force members were appointed in 1999 and consist of:

Richard Kane (President, Chair)

Arthur Sherk (Treasurer)

Graham Wright (Executive Director)

Joan Geramita (Queens)

Edgar Goodaire (Memorial)

Monique Bouchard (Operations Manager, Support Person)

The mandate of the Task Force is to examine and evaluate CMS administrative structures and
recommend ways of making it more effective and efficient. Its official mandate is as follows:

1. Workload Review: Review existing procedures for office workload review; considering the
distribution of work among the various offices and its appropriateness. Develop strategies
for addressing requests for additional administrative support for CMS activities.

2. Staff Assignments: Review staff job descriptions in light of current and future
responsibilities of the office and bring forward recommendations.

4. Streamlining: Review all activities of the office identifying tasks that can be streamlined,
eliminated and modified for greater efficiency.

5. Broaden Knowledge: Develop a strategy to ensure that knowledge of CMS operations is
not restricted to one or two persons; e.g. Policy book(s), enhanced communications
strategy.

6. Camel: Review the operations and distribution of responsibilities associated with Camel.

The Task Force met three times: on October 21, 1999 in Toronto; on December 13,
1999 during the Montreal CMS Winter meeting; and on April 10, 2000 in Ottawa. In
addition, various consultations took place to obtain opinions on the issues being discussed
by the Task Force. Monique Bouchard and Graham Wright consulted with the individual staff
members of the Ottawa Office while Richard Kane and Graham Wright met with the Rector
of the University of Ottawa to discuss current and future arrangements between the CMS and
the University of Ottawa. Several questionnaires were circulated by email: a questionnaire
about exhibits at CMS meetings was circulated by Monique Bouchard to all CMS members;
a questionnaire about the CMS meeting binder was circulated by Joan Geramita to a number
of former meeting directors; and a questionnaire about the adequacy of support provided by
the Ottawa office was circulated by Graham Wright to all CMS editorial offices.

This is not the first CMS Task Force to consider the question of rationalizing CMS
administration. Two years ago, the Task Force on Budget and Policy, chaired by Arthur
Sherk, examined certain aspects of the CMS Ottawa Office and made a number of
recommendations. Notably, the report observed that the CMS Executive Office is coming
under an increasing work load and stated that there was a need for setting priorities and for
more delegation of responsibility. We would like to confirm the observations of that report
and also confirm that steps have been taken to implement its recommendations. In addition,
job responsibilities of office staff at the Executive Office have been reorganized in various
ways, to better handle workloads.

It is clear to this Task Force that, for the past few years, changes in CMS administrative
structures have been ongoing. In response to an increased workload, there have been
constant and largely successful efforts by the Executive Office to improve its handling of
assigned tasks. The workload involved has been somewhat of a moving target since assigned
tasks have been growing. This report reflects the efforts of the Executive Office. While it
highlights developing problems and suggests possible solutions, much of it is actually an
affirmation of changes which have either taken place or are underway.

(1) Growing Role of the CMS

The past few years have witnessed a significant expansion in the activities of the
Canadian Mathematical Society and there is every indication that growth will continue to take
place in the next decade. Growth has occurred in almost every area in which the CMS has
an active involvement. To cite some examples, in the area of research, the semi-annual
meetings have increased in size and scope, particularly in the past few years. In the area of
education, there has been continued expansion of CMS high school enrichment programs and
a new level of involvement in both undergraduate and graduate education. In the past five
years Electronic Services has, not surprisingly, become a major forum of CMS activity. In
particular electronic publishing of CMS journals was initiated in the past year.

As we will explain in subsequent sections, almost all of these increased activities have
led to an increased workload for the Executive Office in Ottawa. Over the past decade, a
strategy of centralization is clearly apparent in the administration of CMS activity. It has often
been decided that the most efficient and effective way to implement particular tasks is to
assign primary responsibility to the Ottawa office. Section Two will outline a number of such
decisions. The Task Force supports these decisions and recommends that this strategy of
centralization be continued in those cases of the Society's activities under discussion in this
report. This report is written with this recommendation as an implicit assumption in all these
discussions.

Centralization is still a limited trend. The CMS has an amazing level of participation by
its members. In any given year, over 20% are actively involved either via committee work or
by helping to organize an event. But as the CMS becomes a more complex and diverse
organization there is a need to strengthen, in some ways, the core bureaucracy. It is
important that the CMS possess adequate infrastructure to support its many activities. It is
the judgement of the task force that further strengthening of the Executive Office is
required.

(2) CMS Activities

In this section we outline some added responsibilities which have been assumed, or
will be assumed, by the Executive Office as a consequence of an increased level of activity
in certain key areas of the CMS.

(2a) Conferences

In the past few years, the semi-annual CMS conferences have become significantly
larger in scope. One motivation for this change was the cancellation of the NSERC
Conference Grant Program six years ago. It was felt that CMS meetings would have to be
more inclusive if they were to be financially viable. But there was also a consensus that,
independently of financial considerations, the CMS should be broadening its horizons and
attempting to reach out to as much of the mathematics community as possible. In the past
few years the number of sessions, on average, has doubled. Registrations, while not
doubling, have grown considerably. The four meetings held during 1998 and 1999 averaged
over 300 registrants per meeting. Major associated events such as the Canadian
Undergraduate Mathematics Conference or Job Fairs are also taking place in conjunction with
CMS meetings. Thus CMS meetings are increasingly complex events requiring in-depth
preparation and planning.

Parallel to this development, the role of the Executive Office in organizing meetings has
grown. This is occurring for very valid reasons. The involvement of the Ottawa office
ensures efficiency, consistency and quality control. Notably, one doesn't have to re-invent the
wheel each time. The Executive Office now handles meeting registrations abstracts, publicity
(in particular, the meeting web site on Camel) and book exhibits. It plays a major support role
in advising the local organizers and in helping them to plan details of the meeting. The CMS
staff is also actively engaged in running the meeting itself, notably Ottawa staff work at the
registration desk during meetings. As a result of this more active role by Ottawa staff, along
with the increased scale of CMS meetings, the organization of meetings has now become one
of the major activities of the Executive Office.

(2b) Publications

The advent of electronic publishing has generated new demands and workload for the
Ottawa staff. Journal and Bulletin subscriptions have been dealt with by University of Toronto
Press for many years. With the advent of electronic publishing, the Executive Office has been
drawn more closely into the processing of these subscriptions, for it is the CMS, via Camel,
which must distribute this electronic product. As a result, the Executive Office has become
much more involved in the handling of the data of journal subscriptions and in the
accounting associated with the subscriptions. The Membership and Publications Agent has
been required to deal with significantly larger levels of data entries and the Financial
Assistant's position has experienced a surge in invoicing of subscriptions. This work is
seasonal but intense.

The dynamics of the situation is likely to lead to a further increase in workload. The
current situation vis-a-vis University of Toronto Press has become an awkward compromise
with the processing of data being carried on at two sites and duplication of effort occurring.
It would appear to be simpler for the Executive Office to assume total responsibility for
handling all aspects of journal subscriptions. But the Executive Office would then be
assuming the University of Toronto Press workload.

(2c) CMS Membership Drive

The CMS membership drive has created another pressure point regarding the handling
of data. The CMS wishes to build links with graduate students in mathematics. The first step
was to offer complimentary membership to all such students and build up an electronic
discussion group which could be used to disseminate relevant information to these students.
As of the end of April, 2000 the membership drive for graduate students had yielded 536
names whose data must be processed.

The Membership and Publications Agent resigned on April 1 while the Financial
Assistant has announced plans to resign by June 30 at the latest. Various factors were
involved in these decisions. But, in both cases, the nature of the work (which has become
more repetitive and lower level) was an important factor. It also seems indisputable that the
added workload arising from the new data base responsibilities was an influencing factor in
the case of the the Membership and Publications Agent.

(2d) Camel

Subject to the approval of the Board, the Camel administration will be reorganized and
consolidated in Ottawa in the coming year. Certain activities would still be carried on at Simon
Fraser University but all the day to day activity would be done in Ottawa. It is true that the
administration of Camel will be carried on relatively independently of the operations of the rest
of the Executive Office. However, a larger Camel presence will generate pressure on office
space since it will likely result in at least one more person on site. Moreover, independently
of the location of Camel, the success of Camel has led to extra tasks for Ottawa staff. We
have already cited the examples of electronic publishing and web sites for CMS meetings.
The concentration of Camel staff in Ottawa should facilitate the interaction and planning
needed to carry out such joint ventures.

(3) The CMS Executive Office

There is considerable consensus within the CMS that having the CMS Executive Office
located in Ottawa has served us well. The Ottawa location provides easy access to
government agencies and to a bilingual workforce. It projects a national identity for the CMS.
Ottawa has excellent connections with all parts of Canada and has particularly easy access to
Montreal and Toronto. In addition, being associated with a mathematics department and
imbedded in an academic environment have proven to be beneficial. As well, the University
of Ottawa site has provided financial benefits for the Society. For example, the CMS has
obtained free Internet access and has been able to use the University's payroll and benefits
system. The Task Force recommends that, unless extraordinary circumstances intervene,
the CMS Executive Office should be located in Ottawa at a University site.

(3a) Staff

Currently, the four full-time staff are: Operations Manager, Assistant to the Executive
Director, Membership and Publications Agent, and Executive Office Clerk. Job descriptions
for each position are included in Appendix A. The three part-time staff are: Financial Assistant
(1/2 position), Comptroller (1/4 position), and Site Manager of Camel East (2/3 position).
Again job descriptions are included in Appendix A. The job description of the Operations
Manager was extensively rewritten as part of this Task Force's activities.

It is clear that remedies are needed to deal with the growing demand on this staff as
outlined in Section Two. The immediate approach is ad hoc. The position of Membership
and Publications Agent is currently vacant and two students have been hired, one of whom
is focusing on the large amount of new data entries. As well, the Operations Manager is doing
membership and subscription renewal entries and is overseeing the work of the students. This
is very much a temporary arrangement and it is clear that some expansion in staff will be
required in the near future. In particular, the acquisition from University of Toronto Press of
full responsibility for the handling of publication subscriptions would certainly precipitate such
an expansion.

Two possibilities are currently being considered. One would be the creation of a Data
Entry Clerk position. This could be either a part-time or a full-time position. It could also be
a joint position shared with another organization. Possible organizations include the
Mathematics Departments at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa, as well as
other professional societies on these campuses. At the moment the plan is to evaluate the
effectiveness of outsourcing data entry before deciding on the need for this position and its
format.

The other possibility is an expanded Comptroller position which would handle some of
the current responsibilities of the Financial Assistant, in order to free that person to better
handle subscription management. Accounts payable duties as well as reconciliation duties
would be transferred. The expanded position would be a 1/2 position rather than a 1/4
position.

In view of the potential expansion of the Executive Office one might also consider
incorporating some of the current financial duties of the Operations Manager into such a
position. Such a change would allow the Operations Manager to devote more time to the task
of the supervision of office staff. The involvement of the Operations Manager in budget
preparations and in audits should, however, be maintained.

The restructuring suggested above would significantly impact the vacant position of
Membership and Publications Agent as well as the soon to be vacant position of Financial
Assistant. So until decisions are made, it does not seem possible to re-staff these positions.
This is not a situation which will be long tolerable in an already overworked office. There are
some genuine issues to resolve: one is looking for an effective arrangement which is both cost
effective and also takes into account the current restraints on space in the Executive Office.
For example, the effectiveness of such approaches as outsourcing or electronic submission
of data needs to be evaluated. But it should also be recognized that decisions need to be
achieved as quickly as possible.

(3b) Physical Space

Physically, the Executive Office occupies the first floor of a converted house on the
University of Ottawa campus. It is adjacent to the building housing the Department of
Mathematics and Statistics. The Executive Office site is 828 square feet in size and is divided
into three offices plus a reception area. Four full-time and two part-time staff are housed in
the office. The full time staff have their own desks while the part time staff are able to share,
currently, a desk because of staggered work schedules. The work space is, to say the least,
fully utilized. The Executive Director, who is currently a faculty member at the University of
Ottawa, is able to use his faculty office in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics as the
Executive Director's office. The Site Manager for Camel East, who is a part time faculty
member, uses his faculty office as the Camel East office.

A significant space problem is looming. There are several ways in which more staff
are likely to soon be added.First of all, as already mentioned in Section Two, it is likely that
the administration support for Camel will soon be centred in Ottawa, with at least one more
person on site. Secondly, as the discussion above indicates, there are active plans to
augment current staff in order to handle the increased workload. We should also add that
the retirement of the current Executive Director, when that occurs, will likely end the existing
use of a faculty office and require us to find dedicated space for the Executive Director
elsewhere. Another space problem is connected with archiving. Even now the CMS does
not have space to store its records. It has to rent storage space.

Options for obtaining more space on the University of Ottawa campus are beginning
to be explored. One option is to obtain more space in the existing building. The other option
is to obtain new, and larger, space elsewhere on campus. This will be actively pursued. A
building program is underway at the University of Ottawa and is likely to result in the
relocation of various departments, including the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
Over the next year the University will be making decisions about space allocation. The CMS
will submit a formal application to the University, outlining its space needs, by the end of this
summer. In addition, the possibility of upgrading and utilizing space on the second and third
floor of the building housing the Executive Office is being actively explored. The option of
commercial space off campus in Ottawa has not been explored.

(3c) Technical Support for the Executive Office

There are some deficiencies in the technical support currently being provided for the
Executive Office. For the past few years, the support has been provided by two individuals
on a contract basis. One has been providing assistance with the CMS database and this has
been working well. The LAN Support Person is a full-time employee of the University of
Ottawa Computing Services and this person has not been able to respond to problems as
quickly as needed and has not been particularly pro-active in making sure that upgrades to
the CMS LAN are done.

So, at times, unofficial support has often been provided by the Site Manager for Camel
East. At the moment, granted financial realities, the plan is to stay with the status quo even
though it is not a totally desirable state of affairs. The needs of the Executive Office do not
warrant a full-time technical support person. And Camel resources are only adequate to
provide some occasional supplemental technical support. It is hoped that joint planning can
bring about improvements and ensure that such supplemental support is more effective.

(3d) Conference Administration

The increased administrative demands of CMS meetings on the Executive Office was
described in Section Two. The Task Force has a number of suggestions for facilitating these
tasks.

The Operations Manager has always been the major liaison person for the CMS office
regarding meetings. This role will continue. During the past few meetings, other Ottawa staff
members have also participated -the Membership and Publications Agent and the Assistant
to the Executive Director. The presence of additional staff at the meetings has proved
useful and should continue. In particular, at semi-annual meetings, it would be a useful
experiment to have the Assistant to the Executive Director, rather than the Operations
Manager, deal with the Minutes of the Executive and Board meetings. The purpose would
be to provide the Operations Manager with more time to deal with meeting arrangements.

An additional role for the Executive Office in registration is being contemplated. So far,
at each meeting, the organizers have negotiated special rates at specified hotels; this
information has then been provided to meeting participants who are left free to make their
own arrangements. As a result of this, the meeting organizers typically have very inaccurate
information about the number of hotel bookings associated with the meeting. On the other
hand, financial concessions by hotels for the use of public functions rooms is based on the
number of bookings resulting from the meeting. At the Vancouver Winter meeting, the
Executive Office will, as an experiment, handle not just meeting registrations but also hotel
registrations. The tradeoff which must be assessed here is the amount of money lost through
lack of information versus the extra amount of work handling hotel registrations will entail for
the Executive Office. There is also a question of the extent to which registrants will desire to
personally handle their hotel arrangements.

Responsibility for the web site is one of the most recent initiatives of the Executive
Office. A variety of considerations lead to this decision, notably the need for accuracy of
information and the desire for consistency of format. The McMaster meeting is the first
meeting where the CMS office has played a shaping role regarding the meeting web site and
we applaud the results.

For many years, the CMS has attempted to handle most reimbursement of speaker's
travel expenses during the meeting. Provided receipts were presented, a cheque could be
issued before the end of the meeting. If for no other reason than the increased size of CMS
meetings, this on site reimbursement practice is proving increasingly difficult to implement.
We support the proposal to eliminate it. The Meeting Directors for both Math 2000 and
Winter 2000 have agreed to follow this policy.

Book exhibits are a traditional event at CMS meetings. They do however require
considerable time and effort to organize. And reservations about their effectiveness have
been raised, including by the exhibitors themselves. But a survey of CMS members elicited
strong support for continuing the exhibits at each meeting. We recommend that the
possibility of limiting exhibits to the winter meeting still continue to be explored.

The information binder provided by the CMS to meetings organizers is an encyclopedia
of information. Its importance was acknowledged in a survey of recent meeting directors.
However many of these directors also mentioned that the sheer volume of detail present in
the binder makes it difficult to use. While recognizing the necessity of such a binder we
recommend that a more condensed version of the meeting binder should also be available.
In particular, this condensed version should contain a "what to do and when" list. This
information should also be made available on the Camel web site. As a first step in this
direction, a "meeting organizers" page on the Camel web site has been created and the first
documents -a Meeting profile for a Summer Meeting and a Winter Meeting- have recently
been mounted.

We also support the establishment of an explicit process for reviewing conference
management and costs and, where appropriate, initiating change. After each meeting, this
type of consultation currently takes place on an informal basis, involving the meeting
organizers, the Executive Director and the Operations Manager. We recommend that this
process be formalized and, in particular, that a record of the meetings be kept.

(4) Other Sites

Besides the Executive Office there are eight other editorial offices located in various
Canadian universities which are dealing with sundry aspects of CMS publications. Manitoba
is the site of the Tex Office for CMS publications as well as the office of the current Managing
Editor. Support staff for this office is also located in Calgary. The Manitoba Tex office is
presently under utilized. We strongly support any efforts to pursue new ventures which
would fill this gap.

There are editorial offices, each devoted to a particular CMS publishing venture,
located in the following universities: Memorial (Crux with Mayhem), Dalhousie (Notes), McGill
(Conference Series), McMaster (Bulletin), UBC (Journal), and SFU (Book Series). The various
editors are allowed to develop their own editorial policies (subject to the review of the
Publications Committee). Communication with the Executive Office has mainly been focused
on budget decisions. These offices expressed general satisfaction with the support being
provided by the Executive Office.

Editors are often provided teaching release in compensation for their editorial duties.
The CMS has articulated a principle that the costs of this buyout should be shared by the
host university and by the CMS. We endorse this principle and can report that it is
currently in effect in all relevant cases.

(5) Broadening of Knowledge

Maintaining an institutional knowledge is crucial for the CMS. These are several
obvious steps which could be taken. Effective immediately, the Executive Office should be
archiving Board motions so that a coherent document outlining all mandated policy will be
available. In order to have as thorough a document as possible, we also recommend that
a "student" should be hired to work backwards as far as possible through Board Minutes

It is also recommended that a procedural manual for each staff position in the
Executive Office should be prepared and constantly updated. This responsibility has now
been added to the job description of each staff member (see Appendix). However focus will
be needed to ensure that manuals are developed and maintained.

Richard Kane May 17, 2000

Executive Summary

In this section we summarize the main conclusions and recommendations of the report

(a) The Task Force supports the strategy of limited centralization regarding the
administration of the CMS activities discussed in this report

(b) The Task Force supports the current arrangement of having the CMS Executive Office
located in Ottawa at a university site. Unless extraordinary circumstances intervene, this
arrangement should be continued.

(c) A significant space problem is looming in the Executive Office . It is recommended that
increased space on the University of Ottawa campus be vigorously pursued.

(d) There are growing workload pressures on the existing staff at the Executive Office. It
is recommended that some expansion in staff take place in the near future.

(e) There are some deficiencies in some of the technical support currently being provided
for the Executive Office. It is recommended that appropriate steps be taken to ensure that
adequate technical support is provided to the Office.

(f) Editors are often provided teaching release in compensation for their editorial duties.
The CMS has articulated a principle that the costs of this buyout should be shared by the
host university and by the CMS. The Task Force endorses this principle.

(g) The presence of additional staff at CMS meetings has proved useful and it is
recommended that it should continue.

(h) It is recommended that onsite reimbursement of speaker's travel expenses for CMS
meetings be eliminated

(i) It is recommended that the CMS should continue to explore the possibility of limiting
exhibits to the Winter meeting.

(j) It is recommended that a more condensed version of the CMS meeting binder should also
be available. In particular, this condensed version should contain a "what to do and when"
list.This information should also be made available on the Camel web site.

(k) We support the establishment of an explicit process for reviewing conference
management and costs and, where appropriate, initiating change. A record of meetings be
kept.

(l) It is recommended that, effective immediately, the Executive Office should be archiving
Board motions

(m) It is recommended that a procedural manual for each staff position in the Executive
Office should be prepared and constantly updated.

Appendix A: jobdescriptionsforexecutiveofficestaff

(I) JOB DESCRIPTION #1:Operations Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title : Operations Manager

Hay Points : 390 (Admin Coordinator 1992)

Last Revised : April 5, 2000

Primary Function

The Operations Manager is appointed by the Board of Directors of the Canadian Mathematical
Society and reports directly to the Executive Director (hereinafter referred to as "Director").
The Operations Manager (hereinafter referred to as "Manager") is responsible for the
administration of the Society's Executive Office (hereinafter referred to as "Office"), which
includes supervision of all support personnel at the Office and the performance of financial
and other duties.

The position requires significant administrative and financial experience, a willingness to travel
and work well beyond normal office hours, sound judgement, analytic thinking, considerable
initiative, and independence, ingenuity, a pleasant personality and confidentiality.

The individual must be bilingual and must have excellent oral, written and interpersonal
communications skills. This individual is required to work with a changing Executive, Board
of Directors, Standing Committee Chairs as well as with the other personnel at the other
offices of the Society, most of which are not located in Ottawa. With such a changing
Executive, Board, etc., the Manager provides the crucial continuity for the on-going operations
of the Society. In the absence of the Director, the Manager reports to the President on the
administrative and related operations of the Society.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

The duties of the Manager include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

(a) Development of operational plans: Assignment of Office resources to provide
administrative support for Society programmes, including conferences, committee
projects and activities, and the subscription management of research and educational
journals and other publications.

(b) Supervision of Office staff: Development of job descriptions, training programmes,
assignment of work schedules and priorities, and review of work performance.
Ensuring that project schedules are created and that staff members create and maintain
procedural manuals.

(c) Database systems: Overseeing the development of tables, queries, forms and reports
for the management of the Society's database systems. Working with Access
consultants when appropriate.

(d) Society reports and publications: Production of the Membership Directory, Annual
Report, Guidelines for Conference Organizers, and other Office publications. Copy
Editor for the CMS Notes.

(e) Meetings and conferences: Development and implementation of procedures for the
semi-annual meetings. Travel to the meeting sites to ensure all policies, procedures,
etc, are in place and conducive to a successful meeting. Member of all meeting
committees, development and distribution of conference planning documents to
Meeting Directors and Chairs of Local Arrangements Committees.

Development and distribution of registration and advertising material for CMS
meetings. Serves as meeting registrar. Develops Access tables, queries, forms and
reports. Soliciting of exhibitors and advertisers for the semi-annual meeting and
establishing that adequate arrangements are in place for such exhibitors.

Coordinates material appearing on CMS meeting web sites. Reviews structure and
content of meeting web sites and requesting appropriate changes and additions to
ensure that the site meets the needs of the organizers and participants.

(f) CMS business meetings: Responsible for agendas, arrangements, documentation and
other factors related to the Society's Executive, Board of Directors, and General
meetings. Is the recording secretary for these meetings and submits the minutes of
same to the Society's Secretary. Is also coordinator for CMS business meetings
programme at CMS semi-annual meetings.

(g) CMS committee and board appointments: Ensuring accuracy of current and historical
database information. Works with Assistant to the Executive Director on CMS elections
and processing of committee and board nomination material.

Establishes accounts with suppliers and university departments. Reviews all expense
invoices and gives posting instructions.

Ensures that staff members complete all required reconciliations for submission to the
Comptroller for review.

Development of supplemental queries, forms and reports for financial reports not in IOA
library. Preparation of additional IOA and other financial reports as required. Working
with IOA consultant when appropriate.

Development of yearly schedule for preparation of audit file. Ensures receipt of final
expense invoices and audit confirmations.

(i) The Manager shall have such other responsibilities, shall execute any special projects,
and shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the
Director.

The Manager shall ensure own self-development. This is of particular importance since
the Manager is called upon to use multiple software packages which are upgraded on
a regular basis.

Working Conditions

Responsibilities and deadlines require the incumbent to work outside normal hours and,
therefore, not to be limited to a "standard work schedule".

A willingness to travel within Canada and establish excellent communications with all those
working on behalf of the Society is essential.

Approved by:

_________________________________

Incumbent

_________________________________

Executive Director & Secretary

JOB DESCRIPTION #2: Executive Office Clerk

Job Title : Executive Office Clerk

Hay Points : 156

Last Revised : April 5, 2000

Primary Function

The Executive Office Clerk (hereinafter referred to as "Clerk") is appointed by the Board of
Directors of the Canadian Mathematical Society and reports directly to the Operations Manager
(hereinafter referred to as "Manager"). The Clerk must be fluently bilingual and the primary
responsibilities are to attend to the secretarial duties for the Society's Executive Office. This
means performing secretarial duties for all support staff.

In order to perform the duties of the position, the incumbent is required to use the following
equipment/software:

- Electronic telephone, Facsimile machine

- Electronic mail

- WordPerfect 6.1 for Windows

- Access

- Pitney Bowes Postage by Phone mailing system

- Photocopier

Major Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the Clerk include, but are not necessarily limited to:

Correspondence/Information Requests:

- Using the CMS database, and under the direction of the Executive Director, would produce
letters of thanks to retiring committee members.

- Works with Chair of the Endowment Grants Committee on the yearly Endowment Grants
Competition.

- To respond to requests for information regarding the Society, membership, subscriptions,
publications, etc., in a prompt, courteous and informative fashion.

- To handle all routine correspondence, incoming and outgoing Fax transmissions, and initial
response to the Society's e-mail.

- Responsible for maintaining inventory records, including the performance of the year-end
inventory count for transmission to the Assistant to the Executive Director. - this item is
currently under review.

Reception:

- To handle in a courteous and efficient manner all initial contact of visitors to the Society
Executive Office, in person or by phone.

- To redirect incoming calls as appropriate.

- Receipt and distribution of all incoming and outgoing mail (post, couriers and electronic
mail).

- The Clerk shall have other responsibilities, shall executive any special projects, and shall
perform such other duties as may from time to time be prescribed.

- The Clerk shall ensure own self-development. This is of particular importance since the
Clerk is called upon to use multiple software packages which are upgraded on a regular
basis.

Working Conditions

This is a full-time position with working hours corresponding with those of the University of Ottawa.

Approved by:

_____________________________________________

Operations Manager, Immediate Supervisor

___________________________________________

Executive Director & Secretary

JOB DESCRIPTION #3: Membership and Publications Agent

Job Title : Membership and Publications Agent

Hay Points : 263

Last Revised : April 5, 2000 (removing database duties)

The Membership and Publications Agent (hereinafter referred to as "MP Agent") is appointed
by the Board of Directors of the Canadian Mathematical Society and reports directly to the
Operations Manager (hereinafter referred to as "Manager").

The MP Agent is required to maintain schedules and is responsible for the accurate
maintenance of the Society's membership and subscription databases. This necessitates
extensive use of several software packages including Access, WordPerfect, Netscape and Pine
Email.

QUALIFICATIONS

- excellent organizational skills

- excellent analytical and problem solving skills

- in-depth word-processing and database experience are essential

- excellent and proven communication skills in both official languages

- the ability to work with diligence and accuracy within established schedules

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The MP Agent is responsible for the administration of the Society's membership and
subscriber renewal programmes. This includes overseeing the work of the database clerk, as
well as development and distribution of marketing materials for these and other programmes,
including representing the Society at publishers' exhibits at CMS and other society meetings
and conferences.

(a) Memberships, Subscriptions and Publications: The MP Agent is responsible for the
administration and maintenance of the Society's membership and subscribers renewal
programmes. This includes the following:

- overseeing work of Database Clerk

- handling inquiries from members and subscribers

- renewal notices and reminders for memberships and subscription publications

- producing database and subscriber reports for associated publishers

- regular verification of the CMS and other associated publishers reports

- coordinates pricing, renewal and subscription material appearing on CMS web sites.
Reviews structure and content of meeting web sites and requesting appropriate
changes and additions to ensure that the site meets the needs of the Society, its
members, subscribers and other clients.

- reserving space, furniture, staffing and associated duties related to exhibits at CMS and
other meetings

- preparation and shipment of materials to and from meeting and exhibit sites

- development of marketing materials for use in exhibits

- research and preparation of reports and other documents to aid in marketing of CMS
memberships, subscriptions and publications

(d) General: The MP Agent must perform the required duties and responsibilities with
minimal supervision.

The MP Agent must develop and maintain the procedure manuals related to this
position.

The MP Agent shall have such other responsibilities, shall execute any special projects,
and shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be prescribed.

The MP Agent is responsible for his/her professional development.

Working Conditions:

This is a full-time position with standard benefits and working hours.

Approved by:

____________________________________________

Operations Manager, Immediate Supervisor

____________________________________________

Executive Director & Secretary

JOB DESCRIPTION #4: Assistant to the Executive Director

Job Title : Assistant to the Executive Director

Hay Points : 235

Last Revised : April 28, 1998

Primary Function

The Assistant to the Executive Director (hereinafter referred to as "Assistant") is appointed by
the Executive Director (hereinafter referred to as "Director") of the Canadian Mathematical
Society and reports directly to the Director. The Assistant provides secretarial and
administrative support to the Director and provides editorial assistance for the Society's
newsletter, the CMS Notes.

The position requires imagination and good organizational skills. The Assistant is required to
maintain strict publishing and other schedules and to deal with a variety of individuals inside
and outside the organization. Good oral, written and interpersonal communication skills are
essential in this position.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

The duties of the Assistant include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

Assistant to the Executive Director

Meets with the Executive Director on a daily basis. Types correspondence, documents,
reports, press releases, etc. and makes necessary telephone enquiries as required by the
Director. Reviews all incoming correspondence, responds when possible, composing letters
when required, consulting with the Director when appropriate. This requires a high level of
secretarial and organizational skills.

Will receive and prepare all material for inclusion in the CMS Notes (8 issues per year) using
the Latex typesetting software, with its established style files and compilers. Will review
material with the Editors-in-Chief and the Managing Editor. Will prepare layout of
advertisements, announcements, articles abstracts, etc. and prepares a draft of the issue for
submission to the Editors-in-Chief and the Managing Editor. Will coordinate each issue with
the Editors-in-Chief and the Managing Editor.

Will prepare a list of invoices to be issued for advertising.

Reviews and prepares preliminary french material being submitted to the CMS Notes.

Works closely with the Chairs of the Mathematical Olympiads Committee (MOC), the Canadian
Open Mathematics Challenge (COMC) Committee, the Canadian Mathematical Olympiad (CMO)
Committee, the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) Committee, the Education
Committee and provincial coordinators, will perform necessary administrative and secretarial
duties for the Society's competitions programme, including the preparation and distribution
of registration and examination materials. Will also maintain the necessary databases for the
CMO, be involved in the preparation of the CMO exam material and related forms. Is also
responsible for maintaining the CMO data base, preparation of the CMO report and
distribution of any prizes.

Nominations

Works with the chairs of the Nominating, Publication, Research, and possibly other
committees to distribute, receive and keep track of biographical information forms which are
required from all members being considered for membership on a CMS standing or ad-hoc
committee, editorial board or being nominated for various CMS prizes. Ensures that material
is filed appropriately for consideration at upcoming meetings of the Executive and Board of
Directors.

Abstracts Coordinator for CMS Meetings (four days twice per year - June and December)

Coordinates the preparation of abstracts for semi-annual meetings in Latex format for
publication in the CMS Notes and the meeting programmes.

Miscellaneous

In the absence of the Administrative Coordinator, will oversee the operations of the Executive
Office.

Will act as the recording secretary for staff meetings.

Software Requirements

In order to perform the above tasks, the Assistant is required to use Latex, WordPerfect,
Access, Lotus, and Pine (electronic mail) software.

General

The Assistant shall have such other responsibilities, shall execute any special projects, and
shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be prescribed.

The Assistant shall ensure own self-development. This is of particular importance since the
Assistant is called upon to use multiple software packages which are upgraded on a regular
basis.

Working Conditions

This is a full-time position with working hours corresponding with those of the University of
Ottawa.

Holiday Schedules

Holiday schedules are determined by the Administrative Coordinator. Two-weeks advance
notice is required before any holidays can be approved. Holidays may not be taken during
certain time periods, particularly during the week before, during and after any meeting of
the Canadian Mathematical Society and during year-end work. After reviewing the impact
on office scheduling, decisions on holidays will be communicated as soon as possible. All
efforts will be made to grant the preferred choices.

Approved by: ____________________________________________

Administrative Coordinator, Immediate Supervisor

____________________________________________

Executive Director & Secretary

JOB DESCRIPTION #5: Comptroller

Job Title : Comptroller

Hay Points : not determined

Last Revised : April 5, 2000

Under the authority and direction of the Operations Manager, the CMS Comptroller oversees the
financial records of the CMS and performs internal audit duties.

- the ability to work with diligence within established priorities and schedules

In order to perform the duties of the position, the incumbent is required to use the following
equipment/software:

- Integrated Office Accounting

- Lotus 123

- Pine email

Working Conditions:

A total of the above estimated time budgets for the year is 329 hours.

This is equal to a 1/4 time position (based on 1820 for full-time)

Possible changes to this position:

If it is deemed appropriate and the following duties are moved from the Financial Assistant to the
Comptroller position, it is estimated that this could become a 1/2 time position:

New duties (not yet included below) may include : Accounts Payable

All monthly reconciliations

Production of month-end reports

DUTIES

The duties of the Comptroller include, but are not limited to, those listed below.

Budget Preparation: 10 days per year (=75 hours)

Member of the budget preparation committee. This involves attendance at all budget preparation
meetings (6-7 days) and includes analysis and updating spreadsheet formats and formulas and
the preparation of interest income budgets for all funds and other materials as needed.

Monthly duties: 12.5 hrs per month

Preparation and posting of monthly journal vouchers required to process adjusting entries resulting
from deposits, transfers, investment and other transactions for the previous period. Posting of
such vouchers should be done by month-end. All entries resulting from investment and bank
account reconciliations are to be completed by the end of the following month.

Review and verification of month-end reports (prepared by Financial Assistant).

The following reconciliations may be delegated to the Financial Assistant, however, the completion
and submission of all reconciliations remains the responsibility of the Comptroller :

A/R - Invoices

A/R - Stats Society

A/R - Royal Society

A/P - Royal Society

Membership and subscription income - earned and unearned

Meeting revenue and expenses

Direct involvement in development and maintenance of computerized accounting system (using
IOA-Integrated Office Accounting). This includes monitoring the chart of account structure and
making recommendations for upgrade or modification of the system.

Treasurer's Report: 30 days after field audit 25 hours

Compilation of Treasurer's Report for approval. This report should be produced using queries and
reports from the IOA programme.

Government Reports: 30 days after field audit 9 hours

Completion of government reports for approval and submission by deadline dates, including, but
not limited to:

Completion of year-end procedures required to produce draft year-end financial statements and
prepare for the year-end audit of the CMS accounts. These would include, but are not limited to:

- ensuring that all necessary reconciliations are completed

- ensuring that all necessary year-end adjusting entries are posted and books are closed

- preparation of all schedules and working papers for the external auditors

- meeting with CMS officials and auditors, as required, to review audit matters

Other accounting duties:

Performance of other duties and production of other reports as may be required.

Approved by:

____________________________________________

Operations Manager, Immediate Supervisor

____________________________________________

Executive Director & Secretary

JOB DESCRIPTION # 6: Data Base Clerk

Job Title : Database Clerk

Hay Points : not determined

Last Revised : April 5, 2000 (new position)

The Database Clerk (hereinafter referred to as "Clerk") is appointed by the Board of Directors
of the Canadian Mathematical Society and reports directly to the Membership and Publications
Agent (hereinafter referred to as "Agent"). The Clerk is responsible for the accurate
maintenance of the Society's membership and subscription databases. This necessitates
extensive use of Access.

QUALIFICATIONS

- excellent and fast data inputting skills, with high accuracy

- in-depth database experience - Access database experience preferred

- the ability to work with diligence within established priorities and schedules

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

(a) Database research:

- research payments received with no member/subscriber identification,

for submission to Accounts Receivable Clerk

- research database for new members/subscribers to avoid duplication of entities

- coding of any documents to be filed in the CMS filing system and submission to
Executive Office Clerk for filing

- Directly responsible for filing of all membership forms, subscription forms and claims.

(e) General: The Clerk must perform the required duties and responsibilities with a high
level of accuracy.

The Clerk must develop and maintain the procedure manuals related to this position.

The Clerk shall have such other responsibilities, shall execute any special projects, and
shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be prescribed.

The Clerk is responsible for his/her professional development.

Working Conditions:

This is a full-time position with standard benefits and working hours.

Approved by:

____________________________________________

Membership and Publications Agent, Immediate Supervisor

____________________________________________

Executive Director & Secretary

JOB DESCRIPTION #7: Accounts Payable Clerk

Job Title : Accounts Payable (and G/L?) Clerk

Hay Points : 191 (Financial Clerk points)

Last Revised : April 5, 2000

The Accounts Payable Clerk (hereinafter referred to as "A/P Clerk") is appointed by the Board
of Directors of the Canadian Mathematical Society and reports directly to the Operations
Manager (hereinafter referred to as "Manager").

- 5 years of recent experience in accounts payable and reconciliation of accounts

- accuracy

- proven spreadsheet and computerized accounting experience

- proven ability to maintain schedules and meet deadlines

- excellent and proven communication skills (preferably bilingual)

-

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Accounts Payable:

- posting of all accounts payable using IOA accounting software

- verifying payables and preparation of cheques for signature by authorized signatories

- weekly posting of the A/P ledger to the general ledger

Reporting:

- printing of weekly general ledger activity reports for submission to Operations Manager
and Executive Director

- under the direction of the Executive Director, processing and posting of funds transfer
requests between the CMS cash accounts

- investigation of any and all unidentified debits and credits to the Society's cash
accounts, and submission of reports to the comptroller

Reconciliations:

The following would apply to the position if it included G/L and reconciliation tasks:

The A/P Clerk is responsible for the reconciliation of the Society's financial records to the
Society's database records to ensure accurate and complete records are maintained. The A/P
Clerk is also responsible for various other reconciliations. This includes the following:

- reconciliation of accounts receivable invoice records

- reconciliation of the Society's bank accounts

- reconciliation of the Society's membership database

- reconciliation of the Society's subscriber database

- reconciliation of the Society's contributor database

Budget and Audit:

The A/P Clerk is responsible for providing clerical assistance to the Comptroller during Budget
and Audit preparation times. This includes the following:

- coding of any documents to be filed in the CMS filing system and submission to
Executive Office Clerk for filing

- Directly responsible for filing of all cheque requisitions and A/P reports.

General:

The A/P Clerk must perform the required duties and responsibilities with minimal supervision.

The A/P Clerk must develop and maintain the procedure manuals related to this position.

The A/P Clerk shall have such other responsibilities, shall execute any special projects, and
shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be prescribed.

The A/P Clerk is responsible for his/her professional development.

Working Conditions:

This is a new part-time position. We estimate it as a 1 day per week position. Benefits
would be prorated if appropriate.

It is also possible that these duties could be added to the currently comptroller position.
Expanding it Working schedule and holiday schedules are to be approved by the Manager.
Additional hours may be required during the Audit (January/February) and Budget
(September/October) periods.